Witnessing a decade of change

By Angela Prichard,

Katie Dinsdale has been providing a warm, smiling welcome at Epsilon House reception every morning for the last 14 years.  She’s answered tens of thousands of phone calls for tenants, virtual and office-based, sorted more mail than most post offices and dealt with a bewildering range of guests, queries and deliveries.

One thing has remained the same: that cheery welcome and her ability to help. “I got to know so many people, they became friends,” said Katie.  But how did it all begin, back in 2008?

“I was working for a property company and started covering Epsilon House reception before the building was fully occupied.  When the property company moved on, I stayed. I never had an interview for the job, I think they just thought I fitted in!”

Katie previously worked in customer service roles with Suffolk Doctors, Thomas Cook and the radio station SGR.  Bringing that wealth of experience to Masterlord was a bonus for everyone.

“The range of businesses here is amazing and constantly changing, that’s what makes it interesting. Finding out what a company does and how I can help them.  Of course, there’s weird and wonderful things like someone putting washing up liquid in a dishwasher and turning the first floor kitchen into a foam party…or a spacesuit worn by David Bowie being dropped off at reception…or Richard Hammond and the Top Gear team filming here, he was an absolute delight!”

High profile visits by Ed Sheeran and Prince Harry with the Countess of Wessex to Headway turned the place upside down but didn’t faze Katie.  “She’s a sea of calm,” says Masterlord’’s Alison Smith. “A rock, with Abi Dawson taking over reception in the afternoon.”

With her son heading to university, Katie felt it was time for a change and is joining the comms team at NHS Sandy Hill Lane.  Finding that work-life balance is never easy. Katie’s ability to make things work for tenants, particularly virtual ones where she fields all sorts of calls and messages, is what she enjoyed.

Despite breaking her ankle during lockdown walking on Nacton Shore, she was soon back at Epsilon House to support those companies who had to keep working through the pandemic.

Now she’s passing on morning reception duties to Julie Barnes, who we welcomed to our team this week. She’ll feel the warm welcome left behind by Katie, as she settles into that role.

Expand + diversify = success for Vivo Group

By Angela Prichard,

From cleaning commercial buildings and film sets to now recruiting construction management, the expansion and diversification of George Pennell’s Vivo Group is impressive over the last two years. With a turnover of more than £250k in his first year, the only way is up. 

Vivo Recruit, managed by George’s co-director Azz Salam, specialises in supervisory and management roles in the construction industry, which has seen spectacular growth throughout the pandemic. From site managers, quantity surveyors and architectural specialists, the diversity of contacts that Azz brings to the new business is the key to its success. 

“It’s difficult for clients to deal with every aspect of recruitment,” explains Azz, who brings many years’ experience to Vivo Recruit. “We relieve the pressure for our clients, letting them focus on what they do best: construction. We provide temporary and permanent roles across the UK, often working with consultants on projects before they even start construction.”

With the volume of work growing, a new assistant has just joined the company to work on recruitment alongside Azz.  Vivo Recruit can also employ staff directly, and contract them to clients as needed.  “It’s all about relationships and trust,” Azz says.

For George Pennell, growing demand for his contract cleaning business, Vivo Clean, has led to the recent appointment of a new operations manager to develop new contracts and expand the range of cleaning services.

Specialist cleaning of external cladding and gutters on commercial and industrial premises needs a level of training and skill that Vivo Clean now offers. 

“Builders’ cleans on new residential and commercial properties is another growth market,” says George.  We’ve had a very successful year as everything recovers. New business is developing faster than we hoped, and the link between Vivo Clean and Vivo Recruit allows us to trade contacts and expertise, so they both thrive in the group.”

When we first talked to George in July 2020, he was busy providing daily location cleaning services for an Amazon Prime thriller series, The Power, at Bawdsey Manor. He’s moved on!

Based at Masterlord Office Village’s Epsilon House, George Pennell is now focused on powering ambitious expansion plans for the future. “The Epsilon House team made it so easy to arrange new, larger adjoining offices, and the move was seamless. Their support was invaluable.”

For more information: vivoclean.co.uk. or vivorecruit.co.uk